Oct. 1, 2013 - 06:00AM
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A U.S. Park Police officer stand guard in front of the closed Lincoln Memorial on Oct. 1. Tuition assistance for all classes starting Oct. 1 or later has been suspended as a result of the government shutdown. ((Mark Wilson/Getty Images))

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Tuition assistance for all classes starting today or after Oct. 1 has been suspended as a result of the government shutdown, the Army announced today.

“Effective 1 October, all soldier accounts in GoArmyEd will be placed on hold and they will not be able to process any new TA requests,” the Army said in an emailed statement, which was also posted on the GoArmyEd website.

About 20,000 soldiers have requested TA for classes in fiscal year 2014, the Army said in an email to Army Times. About 2,000 soldiers have classes scheduled to start this week.

The Army also will not fulfill TA requests submitted before Oct. 1, for classes that start on or after Oct. 1.

“Beginning … 1 October 2013, a program will run in GoArmyEd that will reject all approved TA requests for classes scheduled to start that day. This program to reject enrollments will run each morning until either a budget or a (Continuing Resolution) is approved by Congress and signed by the President,” the website states.

“Soldiers should not begin any classes until funding is approved,” an Army spokesman said in an email.

The site warns soldiers they might go intodebt for attending classes that are rejected as a result of the shutdown, and tells soldiers to monitor their GoArmyEd account to see if their classes are affected.

Once the shutdown is over, GoArmyEd will begin accepting tuition requests, except for classes with a start day during the suspension period, the website states.

For the latest developments on how the shutdown is affecting soldiers and families, visit the Army Times blog Outside the Wire.